Nigtmare before ChristmasValentine's Day Vendetta
by Phoenix-LOL
Summary: 20 years later, Jack and Sally are 'living' happily with their family.  What happens when an old villian comes back, joined by a power-crazy new villian to take over the seven holidays?  R&R BETTER SUMMARY INSIDE!
1. Chapter 1

Nightmare before Christmas: The Valentine Vendetta

Summary: 20 years after TNBC, Jack and Sally are now happily married and gave two children, Jasper and Desiree. All seems peaceful until Oogie Boogie rears his burlapsy face once more and teams up with a new villain to take over the seven holidays. After banishing Jack and Jasper to Valentine Town, they meet Valentina; the jailer of dark spirits who agrees to help them win back Halloween Town. Can the Pumpkin King rise up once more, save his kingdom as well as his family?

A/N: Salutations all fan-fiction readers across the world. This is my first TNBC story and I am anxious to post. After watching the movie and video-game walkthrough on YouTube, the muse struck me with its iron grip, not releasing it until I wrote this. Yes this story does contain OC's and yes I realize this is a major turn-off to most people. I assure you, I'll try to keep all the characters with their normal personalities, just give this a chance. Now enough begging; I give you my work, Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own TNBC, just my OC's and plot line.

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Prologue: Dealing and meeting

The sun was beginning its journey down the sky as it cast shadows across the Hinterlands, baking the trees in an amber-gold light. There in the long abandoned and dreaded lands of mystery stood the seven doors of the holidays; each decorated in its own fashion, forming a semi-circle inside the woods. There were many different kinds; a burning firecracker, an emerald clover, a plump turkey, a pastel egg, a cerise heart, a decorated evergreen tree and, last but not least, an orange pumpkin with a scary grin carved into the front. These doors have been the gateways to new worlds and things that existed in your wildest dreams, and are wanted by many; to gain power and control over others. Always, there exists an opposing force to this tyranny; a pure hope that defends those innocent and return balance to the scales of fate. What does this have to do with anything? Well, perhaps it is best that we begin our tale, and in the end, may we find that answer.

Our story begins in Valentine Town; a place where emotions run as freely as the wind crosses the plains. A light, cheery place painted with reds, whites, pinks and golds, the eternal colors of happiness and adoration. In this town lived Valentine angels, winged humans with immense talent of casting spells and charms upon living beings with such simplicity a baby could do it. That is what Cupid is- was- an angel who created the idea of match-making, helping lost souls find their mates. He was the leader of Valentine Town, taking pride in his work. All loved him and females desired his gorgeous looks. However Cupid did not run the show alone, although he was the main control figure, there was another hiding behind the scenes.

They say that behind every great man, there is a great woman. In this case, this woman was the young Valentina Lucardia. She was a young, teenage fairy assigned the task of watching over the jailed spirit troublemakers in the holiday worlds. Now, it may seem strange to those reading that a prison be established in such a warm place as Valentine Town, and there is a reason for that. What better place to hide a bunch of vile, vengeful villains than the vexingly voluptuous village of love and peace? Exactly that, it's a crazy idea that no one would ever suspect; the perfect cover-up. Prisons in the holiday would were quite different than those we think of with iron bars, moats or police. Since most criminals were spirits, their souls would be contained in special jars, specifically created to hold powerful beings for long periods of time. These jars were no bigger than a small bird and made of magical metal created for withstanding epochs of harsh conditions. They were stored in a large labyrinth of corridors beneath the streets of the town; where the citizens are oblivious to the terrors that are imprisoned bellow their feet. Or even some may ponder why a fairy to guard the prison, isn't that sound so insignificant? Well see, in Valentine Town, some female children born are not created with the high level of talent of the Angels, which are mostly male, only when proving their development in control do they receive their angel wings. Consider it like a diploma after graduating from high school or college, along those lines.

Valentina has no connection to Cupid, whatsoever, not even by blood. She was a stranger living in his mansion, hidden away from the public eyes for the safety of all worlds. Not that she didn't blend in with the citizens of Valentine Town; oh contrary, her vibrant red was the perfect shade to make any man stare and her heavenly blue eyes rivaled the clearest, cloudless sky in summer.

Once a year, Valentina allowed herself one day of relaxation from the daily grind. While out in the town, taking in the beautiful scenery and sounds she rarely experiences annually; back in the prison a certain magenta jar begins to vibrate. Not a simple, low twitch but a loud trembling quake bouncing all over the shelf it was placed on. This motion became more and more violent, until the jar fell from the heights to the cold, cemented ground, shattering into a thousand pieces; rose-colored shards of metal skidding across the floor on all directions. A crimson, velvety mist unshelled by the dark pink prison began to cloud and swirl together, a figure arising within the dark destruction.

A sigh of relief echoed through the blackness, followed by a sultry laugh and squeal. These sounds came out of the devilish pink lips of a tall, well-developed figure of the now materialized spirit; her long, curling blonde hair shimmered in artificial night as smoky eyelids opened to reveal blood thirsting crimson eyes. Blinking and examining her surroundings, the nameless demon smirked and made her way toward another room, stacked with various books. Fingering her cerise-painted nails through the volumes she settled for a brown leather work, the words Del libro della lussuria embroidered in gold letters on the spine and front cover. Smiling a bewitching grin, she opened the book, flipping to a certain page before murmuring the contents of the page. She smirked horrendously as the mist swirled around her, vanishing into the dry, stale air around her; making her presence there questionable.

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Meanwhile, in the town where pumpkins scream in the dead of the night, the pumpkin sun began its daily task of crossing the sky, bathing it in a pale orange glow. The zombie-like crow cawed, welcoming the rays of light into the terrifying town. The light traveled everywhere, awakening the undead from their silent slumber. Some particularly daring rays passed throughout the drawn curtains of the master bedroom located within Skellington Manor, located in Halloween town. In this house, resided the sole aristocrat of the Halloween world; the legendary pumpkin king, Jack Skellington. He was the king of fright, the master of all Halloween. Women used to faint and drool in his presence, crave him for their own dastardly purposes. However, their hopes were shattered when on that fateful Christmas night twenty years ago, when Jack Skellington fell, skull-over-heels, in love with Dr. Finkelsteins rag-doll creation, the shy and devoted Sally. Their courtship was the talk of the town for several weeks, no one ever suspected Jack and Sally to end up like this, but love is a blind archer. After one year of courtship, Jack proposed to Sally and, of course, she said yes. The wedding was horrifyingly lovely, however dear readers that's another story.

Sally unconsciously winced as a small beam of light entered through the drawn curtains of her and Jack's-their-room. Her pale blue body began to respond, slowly exiting the land of sleep and coming back to reality. Her eyelids fluttered open, adjusting to the dark light in the room, and her body uncurled in a cat-like manner. She froze for a split-second as she felt something caress her waist, slowly relaxing as small kisses adorned the base of her neck. Sighing, the rag-doll shifted positions to turn and face the owner of sweet touches, her husband.

"Good morning." Sally whispered happily, almost afraid that if she raised her tone that of this all would be a dream; a wonderful, heart-touching nightmare. The skeleton man fluttered his eye sockets open to the ragdoll woman beside him, that skeleton grin growing upon his non-existent lips.

"Good morning, my beautiful bat." His compliment came with a chaste kiss upon her devil red lips. Sally closed her eyes, savoring Jack's kisses to their fullest. Even though they kiss often, too many times for either to count, she still felt sparks race through her limbs; just like their first time. "How was your sleep, darling?"

"Wonderful, as always," Sally curled her arms around Jack's waist, resting her head on his chest, well ribcage area, "But it's ways a pleasure to wake up and see you my love."

If skeletons could blush, Jack would be turning several shades of red by now. Even after 20 years he still felt the same passion he did that cold Christmas night. He was about to thank her with a kiss once more when a shriek echoed through the manor, followed the grumbling under the breath of the Pumpkin King.

"What, in God's name, would the mayor want at this hour?" His tone clearly annoyed, it seemed the mayor couldn't do anything without his advice. Halloween was still 311 days away; even the Mayor didn't begin this rude awakening till about 175 days before.

"You'd better answer the door, Jack." Sally suggested as she turned her legs over the sides of the bed. Jack sighed, almost pouting, like a child who had been told 'no' to its favorite toy. He crawling over and wrapping his long, bony appendages around her waist, nuzzling into Sally's soft, rustic red hair.

"Can't we just be quiet and hope he leaves?"

The ragdoll giggled, although she loved to stay in bed with her husband, today was a very special day and she needed to get up anyhow.

"If you don't," she sighed happily but wisely, "Then one of the children will, and we don't want a repeat of the last incident, do we?"

Jack grumbled once more, the memory resurfacing in his skull. It was a few years ago following the Halloween town celebration of Independence Day. The citizens had decided to celebrate by creating a firework display of epic proportions to be set off that night, at midnight to be correct. A newly formed band called The Sirens had volunteered to perform, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the concert. The display went off without a hitch and soon mostly everyone had headed home, excluding the vampire brothers or other nocturnal beasts living in the town, satisfied and undead tired. The following morning, Jack and Sally jumped awake to the sound of a scream, and not the spider sound attached to the doorbell. After flying down the main staircase in a fit of waving arms and concerned voices, they came across two figures standing on opposite sides of the door frame. On the outside was the mayor, his faced revolved to show a look on nervous anxiety in a shade of gray washed over his triangular head. The papers and usually long list had scattered along the wooden floors of the front porch, his hands clenched close to his body, shaking with fear. On the other side of the doorframe, with their back turned toward the royal couple, was a young girl around the age of 14. She was average height for a girl her age; towering over the short man, wearing a set of light purple pajamas and fuzzy, black, bat slippers.

"DESIREE, what in the name of Halloween is going on here?" Jack stepped forward, his hand reaching up to straighten the orange nightcap that was slowly sliding of his skull.

The girl tensed as she heard the familiar, masculine voice boom from behind her. She turned to face the king and queen, a shy smile spreading on her stitched lips.

"Uh… Hi daddy! What are you and mom doing up so early?" Her tiny hands clasp behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels, imitating the perfect image of innocence.

"I heard a strangely feminine scream come from down here. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Jack's long, bony appendages wrapped over his chest, a stern paternal glare showering down on the young girl, with Sally rubbing his shoulder's from behind, offering her silent support. The young Desiree fidgeted, her foot scuffing the wooden floor below her, refusing to meet her parent's gaze. The Mayor sort of stood there awkwardly at the entrance. He hated to be involved in family matters since he was a single man himself. A moment of intense silence passed through the scene when the girl, broke out in in a frenzy of apologies spilled from her mouth.

"I'M SORRY! IT'S JUST THAT I'M TRIED FROM THE PARTY LAST NIGHT! AND THE DOORBELL GOES OFF AND I FALL OUT OF BED AND I JUST LOST IT! I STORM DOWNSTAIRS, OPEN THE DOOR AND I SCREAM! IT'S JUST ANNOYING! I'M SORRY!" Her confession was emphasized by her waving arms and the faint tears moistening her eyes.

"I don't believe it is I whom you should be apologizing to." The king hinted once more.

Sighing, the ragdoll child turned to face the two faced politician, her dark, wide eyes refusing to move from the wooden floor. "I'm sorry for yelling at you Mr. Mayor."

"It's alright, Desiree no harm done, gave me quite a scare though… Jack what do you think of including Desiree in a more prominent part in the Halloween processional?" The stout man was now smiling, picking up the scattered papers from the porch. "She takes after you so well, you both must be horrified."

"Yes, Mayor we are." Sally said taking Desiree's hand and began leading her back up stairs. Meanwhile, a 16 year old teenage male skeleton dressed in a tight black T-shirt and sweatpants of a dark gray; came sleep-walking down the stairwell, rubbing his eyes sockets.

"What happened, I thought I heard screeching." The boy yawned, obviously semi-conscious of the events around him.

"It's nothing, Jasper, go back to sleep." Sally soothed him sweetly.

"You don't have to tell me twice." He humored and began trudged back up the staircase.

"Awww, is Jaspie tired from his wittle evening out with Sabrina?" Desiree cooed mockingly as Jasper froze in mid-step halfway up the structure.

"You dare mock the Pumpkin prince?" His head shifted to show he acknowledged her words.

"No, I'm mocking Jasper Skellington, who is currently standing in the foyer in his PJs where all his fan-girls can see him." Desiree smirked and covered her mouth to snicker as they heard female whispers from the outside gate.

Jasper fully turned around, leaning one arm against the banister, smiling a sly skeleton grin, "Well, thank you captain obvious."

"Hey! You know I hate that name! I am not _that_ slow!" She stomped her foot, a pout edging over her dark purple lips.

"Yeah, that's what Ka-mon-rah said last night too." He smirked, snapping his skeleton digits in a 'take-that' gesture. That had been the limit for Desiree, she tore her hand from her mother's and chased her older brother up the creaking staircase. "JASPER, YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" Jasper laughed as he turned and ran away from his sister, obviously enjoying his sister's annoyed look.

"It's been one minute and you two are already at each other's throats!" Sally sighed, slightly upset at the two's childish behavior.

"I'm terribly sorry about Mayor, I'll be at the town hall in a half an hour and we can discuss the new processional there." Jack apologized once more. The mayor then left the manor, heading toward the Town Hall to make preparations for their special holiday.

Jack got up, stretching his frame up and hearing several bones crack into place. "Yes, I suppose, I should." Sally arose, placing the red, wool bathrobe over her knee-length blue nightgown, and exited the room, partially to allow Jack to dress in private, also to wake up the rest of the Skellingtons.

Sally walked down the main hallway, leading to the bedroom of her first born, her son Jasper Nightshade Skellington. Yes, nightshade as in _that _nightshade; the deadly nightshade that got her into so much trouble. Why name a child after that, well he was so quiet, silent as the latest night in the cemetery and for a moment the skeletal bundle in her weak arms seemed to fit the name, silent and peaceful sleep what Deadly Nightshade is supposed to be used for. A calming sedative used to help the worried/sick person sleep. Anyway, the mother quietly knocked on the gray door leading to the skeleton's private chambers.

"Jasper? Are you awake?" To her surprise there was no response. That was strange; she could have sworn he was in his room last night. Then again, she shouldn't be this off guard; Jasper had a habit of journeying into the night alone, most times through the graveyard. It was almost eerie how much he and Jack were alike. The two skeletons took the coined phrase "like father, like son" to a new level.

Sally deduced that if Jasper wasn't in his room, he would show up soon enough, the boy could handle himself. She would have gone in and investigated his absence further, but Jasper had kindly asked both his parents to stay clear of his room for privacy's sake; the last thing she wanted to do was to betray her son's trust. Trying to fight her overbearing instincts, the ragdoll continued down the hall to a dark purple door. After knocking ever so lightly on the gateway, she creeped over to the violet and black bedspread that covered it's sleeping creature. Sally smiled warmly as she sank into the fluff of the comforter, earning a small moan from the head of the bed.

"Wake up, my pumpkin princess." Sally kissed a purple stitch on the pale white forehead of her daughter's head as another female moan leaked out from the black and silver spider web quilt.

"Good morning, mother." Wide, feminine eyes with dark pupils blinked away the remaining sleep. She ran her tiny hands through her midnight yarn hair, the stitches on her mouth curling upward in a big one of a kind smile. This little ragdoll was the second child of the Skellington family, Desiree Juliet Skellington. A pale, ghostly white ragdoll with stitches all over her body, most of the time held together with violet stitches. She had earned the nickname "Halloween Town sweetheart" at an early age when it seemed all the citizens loved her sweet and innocent aura. Then there was her scaring; although she appeared as innocent as a newborn, she had the scream of a banshee. Once when was little, she was sitting by the town fountain; playing with the vampire teddy bear (from the Christmas incident) the Vampire brothers gave her for her 5th birthday, when Underwater Gal came up for air and managed to frighten the child. Desiree let out a wail so powerful the whole fountain shook and nearly fell to pieces, attracting everyone's attention. After several apologies the fish woman gave to Jack as he tried to soothe the crying girl, the child sniffled and whimpered an "I sowwy for bweakin da fountan."

"Good morning, Desiree." Sally smiled once more as the girl stretched. Fully awake, Desiree blinked and hugged her mother full-force, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Oh gosh, today's the day isn't it? I'm 16… I'M SIXTEEN!" She squealed, jumping up and pirouetted in a circle, before calming down.

Sally giggled at the teenager's enthusiasm, "Let's not forget your coronation, darling."

"Oh how could I, mom?" She seemed to flutter to her spot beside the blue ragdoll on the bed. It was the tradition in the royal bloodline for each member of the Skellington family to be crowned on their sixteenth birthday; a debutant into adulthood, the ultimate sweet sixteen. The only exception was those related by marriage, Sally was crowned Queen of all Halloween when she and Jack said 'I do'. The eldest child was to inherit the throne, but this did not stop the other children from being crowned, they still had royal blood and were still considered royalty. The young woman hugged her mom again, and Sally gladly hugged back, today was a big day for the whole family. Desiree pulled away to speak when the old grandmother clock on the wall rang out the 8 o'clock hour.

"Oh snap, I'm going to be late for work!" She rushed into closet and grab clothes to throw on.

"I thought the witches gave you the day off?" Sally slightly frowned at losing the tender bonding moment with her child. Even though she was a princess, Desiree preferred to be socially active instead of being cooped up in the house all day. Since she wasn't to take over the throne she had to find some other way to live and got a job working at the Witches Shop, run by Helgamine and Zeldaborne. She enjoyed her time there, plus it gave her more moral values and became an outlet for the citizens' idea and complaints.

"Helgamine said I could work a half day, besides if I do nothing I'm bound to get into trouble." Wasn't that the truth, Sally shook her head ever so lightly. Desiree reappeared, wearing a purple, off the shoulders, long sleeved top, black skirt and black flats decorated with little purple hearts. She reaches over and grabs a large black tote bag, embroidered with her name in purple and green vines. "I may stop around and check to see if all of the RSVPs are in order."

"Be careful." Sally rose to her feet, quickly making the bed and looked over her shoulder.

"Always."

The speedy girl flew down the hallway, nearly hitting her father as she ran down the stairs. "Hi, daddy! Bye, daddy!" This little push sent the skeleton into a tornado spin, finally slowing to a stop as he grasped the side of his skull, waiting for the world around him to stop moving as well.

"Good morning, Desiree." He leaned over the banister to see Desiree run into a teenage skeleton, the intruder who had accidentally caused the shrieking doorbell to go off. His bones were whiter than a sheet with deep, expressive eye sockets a color somewhere between gray and black. He wore a formal black suit with a black shirt underneath, a cat-whisker bow tie and black dress shoes. He wasn't as tall as his father, but the resemblance was undeniable.

"Sorry Jasper," the ragdoll teen helped her brother off the foyer floor, "but I'm gonna be late."

"You're always late," He scoffed, brushing some acquired dust off this jacket arm, "Jeez, Dez, you'll probably be late to your own wedding!"

"Well I see you're in a good mood…" She mumbled, rolling her eyes as they caught the attention of the hall clock, now reading 8:10, "I don't have time for this!" She darted off again toward the door, pit stopping in the kitchen to grab a crab apple. Jasper sighed and looked down, catching sight off a small device left to sit on the floor. With a quick movement he picked it up and called out again, "Sis!"

"Yeah?" She responded, swallowing another hasty bite of the souring fruit.

"You might want this!" He held up the small device shaped in the form of a human skull. Desiree's eyes lit up at as she recognized the object motioning for him to throw it to her. With a gentle toss, the object flew across the foyer landing in her waiting palms, "Thanks Jasper, wouldn't go anywhere without my skull-phone."

"You're welcome." He called back brush more dirt off his pants, "Say 'hi' to Sabrina for me." The last part was as sincere as the boy could get. If Jasper had been famous for one thing besides his bloodline, it was his crush. The skeleton had met a strong and bold, guitar-playing girl named Sabrina Web when he was 10 years old and had fallen skull over heel for the unique female, who currently worked part time at the Witches Shop with his sister.

Desiree giggled, "Oh course, you have anything from her 'secret admirer'?" That was another thing, he must have inherited his mother's shyness because no matter how much he willed himself he couldn't confess his true feelings for her, so he took a traditional route of slipping her letters and small gifts labeled with the anonymous 'secret lover' card.

Jasper swore if skeletons could blush, he would have had a red skull a long time ago. He walked over to his sister, who was now half way out the door and gave her a small box wrapped in black wrapping paper, topped with a silver bow. "Remember-"

"I know, don't say anything, and no hints." Her voice had raised a pitch higher to mock his instructions, but she took it and hid it in her tote. He gave her a quick hug and gave her that famous skeleton smile, "Happy Birthday Dezzie."

"Thanks." She winked at him before setting off down the porch and out the gate.

Jasper sighed, rubbing his imaginary eye lids as he shook his head, he could hardly believe how much she had grown. It seemed only yesterday to his that she was a toddler of 5, and him the protective older brother of 7. That Halloween had passed without a hitch; Desiree was playing by the fountain as her parents talked with the rest of the citizens. They had took their eyes off her for one second to find her gone the next. A shriek emitted from the crowd as someone spotted the baby up on the roof of the Town Hall, highlighted from the large harvest moon, dangerously high off the ground! There was a moment of split panic in Sally as she watched in fear as the little girl followed a black spider, cooing happily. Jack was about to do something when Jasper dashed out of the crowd and over to the drain spout, but the boy had no intention of climbing it. If one looked close enough, the drain had a small shadow that lead right to the top of the roof. Focusing his energy, the skeleton dissolved into a black shadow, melting his essence into the shadow of the pipe, using it like a highway straight to the top. He rematerialized at the top, holding his arms out, calling to his sister to come happily. The little girl, blissfully innocent to the danger around her, turned and walked into his arms. The boy then repeated the process to come down, earning applause for his courageous act. These days Desiree had no problems with buildings anymore; it was some people the skeleton brother grew territorial of. Jasper sent a bone chilling glare to the teenage werewolf that happened to stare much too long at Desiree's passing for his liking. The dog shrunk under the weighted look and headed off in the opposite direction of the skipping female.

"There you are!" Jasper closed the door and turned to see his mother with a frown on her devil red lips. "Jasper, where have you been?"

"I fell asleep on Spiral hill last night, I'm terribly sorry to worry you." Jasper explained, walking up and kissing her pale blue cheek.

"It's alright. Just try not to let it happen again, ok? You had me frightened."

Jasper gave another skeleton grin, "Isn't that my job?"

Sally scoffed and smiled, heading into the kitchen with Jasper close in tow.

"Are you finished with the costumes for this evening mom?" The boy asked as he leaned against the counter.

"I have to add the finishing touches to Desiree's dress, but your suit is in your closet." Sally grabbed a glass and cranberry juice from the fridge.

"I'm sure they'll both be completely dazzling, my dear." A new voice entered the kitchen as Jack straightened his pin stripped jacket.

"Thank you, darling." Sally beamed and took a sip of her juice.

"That reminds me, I need to remind the Mayor to remove the Pumpkin Princess tiara from the vault in his house." Jack took a moment to straighten his bat bow-tie in the mirror perfectly placed on one of the kitchen walls. "That reminds me once more; he moved the meeting up to 8:30, due to the decoration proceedings. We'd better hurry if we want to be accounted for."

"Because, Halloween knows, he can't do anything by himself." Jasper groaned, ever since his 16th coronation he'd been learning under his father's shadow. That meant going to every meeting, every party, every social outing to learn the procedures of being Pumpkin King. "The Mayor does what he can." Sally spoke up, leaning against the fridge door.

"Yes, well, he needs a hobby. Or a cat. Or a girlfriend. Possibly all three." The boy joked, earning a chuckle from both parents.

"Let's not ask miracles now." Jack played along, "Can you grab my briefcase out in the hall?"

"Sure." As soon as the boy went out of sight, Sally blinked to find Jack wrapped around her, kissing her delicately. Giggling like a school child, she responded back, wrapping her arms on his broad shoulders. Jasper walked back in to announce their departure, when he caught his guardians in their romantic moment. Sighing, he looked back at the clock, "Hate to interrupt your private moment, but its 8:20."

Jack pulled away from Sally, breathless and clearly happy, "I shall see you soon, my love?"

"I'll stop by at eleven to help with the decorations." Smiling sweetly, she fixed his tie once more, before Jasper pulled the Skeleton man out the front door.

"Bye mom!"

"Good-bye." She waved as her two men left trot the town plaza, leaving her to work in peace.

Desiree strolled down the cobblestone streets of Halloween Town, humming a small tune under her breath. It was a rather breezy winter day; a chilling sensation filled the air as she sighed. She loved the cold, snow and frosty delights of winter. As she walked by several citizens greeted her and wished her a happy birthday or a congratulations and she would smile and thank them before continuing on her way. One particularly daring demon gave her a black rose, which she accepted happily. For a split second, she felt like a dumb, high school cheerleader from a plastic movie; however her emotions just flooded her being like a tidal wave. She walked past the Music band, dancing to the sweet jazz music that bellowed from the saxophone player, flipping a soul into the hat that lay on the ground.

"Happy birthday, Dezzie-girl." The sax player charmed, sending a deteriorated smile her way.

"Thanks, will you be attending the coronation tonight?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Fantastic, keep it playing fellas." Her cloth hands snapped to music as she bid them farewell, practically dancing toward the Witches Shop.

The shop was a relatively small facility, mostly open to allow many people to enter at once. There were two main counters, one for Helgamine, selling brew, crystal skulls and other magical talismans; another for Zeldaborne, selling herbs, cloths and in rare cases items from the other holiday worlds. Lately the two witches had developed a horrible case of river-fever; leaving Desiree and Sabrina to run the shop. The two took the job seriously, and actually manages to boost profits, filling them both with a sense of dignity and pride.

"Morning, Sabrina." She looked to find the woman nowhere in sight, a faint "Back room" muffled by the curtain hiding the storage area. The ragdoll smiled walking around Zeldaborne's counter, heading toward the back room.

Tying an orange apron around her waist was a tall, 17 year old girl with long, snow white hair with straight bangs, highlighting he hauntingly beautiful green eyes. This was the whispered Sabrina Anastasia Web. The creature before her appeared to look like an ordinary human, fitted with all the natural curves women were created with. However, she was a creature of Halloween Town, meaning she had some horrifying ability to terrify people. Sabrina was born with an extremely special gift of metamorphosis, the talent to transform her body and voice into anything she touched or thought of. This god-like trait made people question their neighbors and wonder who they were actually talking with. Isn't that horrific? For any person to be frightened of speaking to anyone, or anything, for fear of being fooled of their identity? This gift was a true step in the evolution of scaring! Sabrina was not only gossiped about due to her power, but her history. She was the only daughter of some considered the nearly the wealthiest monsters in Halloween Town, the Webs. Sadly, tragedy fell upon the parents before Sabrina got time to know them; they died of a nasty disease called Pandora's Pox, a sickness mainly caught by spiders that lingered around their cobwebbed home. They contracted the disease through spider bites and unfortunately did not survive. People rarely died in Halloween Town, but there were those few whose bodies became so frail that their spirits could not stay within cavities and joining the ghosts of the unknown. Sabrina was given to the only other eligible guardian, her wacky, aging aunt Abigail. Abigail happened to own most of the land currently serving as the Town cemetery, an area that covered most of the uninhabited land in the town. With Abigail now shut-in her home, it was rumored that Sabrina would inherit the large fortune left by her parents and the land of her aunt, which the young woman immediately denied. Sabrina wore a tight long sleeved cream and silver striped shirt with a round, modest neck line that flattered her pale skin, tight black skinny jeans and silver high heeled shoes.

"Look who's the birthday girl!" Sabrina greeted in a cheery and familiar tone as she finishes lacing her apron.

"Make that birthday princess." Desiree laughs as she removes her cloak, placing it on the rack by the fire.

"Oh, of course, how silly of me to mistake that." Shaking her head, Sabrina mocked playfully. She was interrupted by the ringing of the entrance bell, quickly excusing herself to go help the latest customer. Desiree looked once more before stealing off toward their personal lockers. Quickly flipping through the keys, the ragdoll unlocked Sabrina's locker to see she hadn't opened it yet, and reached in her bag to pull out the little present from her brother. Hearing the bell once more, she placed the gift, locked the door and unlocked her locker, acting as if nothing happened. Sabrina re-entered, moving toward her locker, motioning for the keys. Desiree sneakily peered over to see Sabrina's reaction as she opened the locker to see the little gift inside for her. Upon seeing the little black box, her emerald eyes lit up in surprise and confusion.

"Oh," a faint gasp admitted from her lips.

"What is it?" Desiree placed her bag in the locker and shut the door, leaning over inwardly curious about what Jasper got her.

Sabrina removed the metallic bow, taking an incoherent breath in as she opened the container. Inside the box was a stunning silver ring, embedded with blue and green precious stones. It sparkled in the dim light of the shop, placing the shapeshifter in awe.

"Wow-"

"That's so pretty, it matches your necklace." Desiree slyly pointed out the similarities between the small ring and the thin, silver, break-away chain around her neck. On the chain was a small pendant in the shape of an electric green guitar. This necklace was no ordinary piece of jewelry; it was the only piece of her parents she had. As a finial wish, her parents gave a magical present to their toddler of a girl; a guitar that contained perfect sound. It was a hope that Sabrina would use the gift to help others and bring joy not only to her but to those around her. When Sabrina touches the pendant and thinks of her parents, the guitar grows to life-size and has the ghost-like power to fly. Needless to say, it was treasured by the woman immensely.

"Yeah, that is a freaky coincidence." Sabrina slipped the ring on her

"Unless he's a stalker..." Desiree mentally smacked herself for suggesting such a thing, imagining Jasper face-palming his skull at her slip-up.

"Oh I highly doubt that," Sabrina waved the idea off like a dying housefly, "Anyone who knows me, knows about the necklace."

"Right." Desiree put on an orange apron and both girls walked out of the backroom, ironically just as the bell rang again. Entering the door was another girl around Desiree's age with long, golden curls and deep, sapphire eyes. This girl was the town prodigy witch, Belinda Dawn Shadow-spell. She was a shy, intelligent girl with a modest insecure nature. Belinda wearing a traditional dress, a magnificent blue color, with short sleeves and knee length skirt, small black, heelless boots. Also keeping in the spirit, she was riding a broomstick, a classic essential to any witch.

"Hey Belinda, what brings you here?" The ragdoll smiled at her best friend.

"Salutations," The young witch brought her stick to a stop, sliding off from her side saddle position. "just thought I'd say 'Happy Birthday'."

"Awww," Desiree ran to hug her girl BFF, "Thank you, Linda."

"It really nothing." she slipped over toward the jewelry case, eyeing a certain ring like a lion stalks it's pray. It was a simple gold band decorated with a deep, cerulean sapphire in the center. Desiree leaned against the counter, looking at her friend that radiated in a mix of amusement and sadness.

"How much have you saved?" She questioned, looking at the rung herself.

Belinda was leaning on the glass top with both arms folded, a sigh passed her lips, "I only have 300 souls..."

"I thought you had 900?" Sabrina entered the conversation, the scene looked so natural yet strange; the three girls around the ring talking about it

"Unfortunately, I had to get a new broomstick." She still gazed at the ring in desire, the same way she had for two years since the first time it entered the shop. Jewelry isn't extremely popular in Halloween town, and only the rich could afford it; not to say to say the citizens were poor. "That cost me some of my expenses, unfortunately."

Desiree felt her heart sink for the witch, she had oh so desperately wanted that ring, it was like her soul

"Unfortunately, I had to get a new broomstick." She still gazed at the ring in desire, the same way she had for two years since the first time it entered the shop. Jewelry isn't extremely popular in Halloween town, and only the rich could afford it; not to say to say the citizens were poor. "That cost me most of my saved expenses."

Desiree felt her heart sink for the witch. She had oh so desperately wanted that ring, it was like her soul. She had tried to help her reach her goal by lending her some money, but of course she refused. Understandable, yet it was hard to watch her struggle.

"Well, I'd best be going," the blonde stated after a fee moments of awkward silence, "Mr. Hyde wants me to open the bookstore earlier, since all Halloween will close for the coronation tonight." Hopping on her broomstick, she waved goodbye to her friends and smiled out the door.

"It's a shame she can't get that ring." Sabrina tutted as she sighed.

"Yeah, I could buy it for her as a gift, but she would know." Desiree pushed off the case and began to pace. Another noticeable trait that could relate the doll to her father was that whenever she felt troubled she would pace back and forth. "Someone has to buy the ring, that doesn't really work in the shop, and give it to her... but who?"

A ding of the bell interrupted her in mid pace. A boy around the age of 16 had walked into the shop; his body covered head to toe in bandages and tattoos. His eyes were a deep brown, partially hidden by black sunglasses. Wearing a light blue toga around his hips, it seemed obvious to what creature he was, a mummy. His name was Ka-mon-rah Nepurtati, Rah for short. The mummy was a cocky but loyal friend of the witch and princess, an ex-boyfriend to the dark-haired beauty. Yes at one point the ragdoll and gangster were very close; however both were not ready for a real relationship, it felt too awkward. So they split with the promise to remain friends, and so it was till this very day.

"Wassup, ladies?" The mummy strolled in, obvious swagger in his step.

"Oh, hey Rah." After seeing who it was, the doll began to pace again.

"Not excited it see me, princess?" His smile rained a million kilo-watts as he leaded his back against the glass jewelry case.

"No, not really." She rolled her eyes, partially annoyed the boy was doing his best to interrupt her train of thought.

The mummy scoffed, "Morning, 'Brina."

The white haired girl nodded in recognition, going to answer the phone that was screaming off the hook.

"What on your mind?" He asked, noticing her familiar pacing. "See the ring?" She motioned with her stitched digit to the glimmering band, protected under glass.

The teenager nodded, "Who can miss it, that's why I'm here."

"Huh?" She turned, curiosity ran through her mind.

"I'd like that ring please." A smile sprouted across his face, half-hidden by bandages.

Desiree's jaw dropped, where could Rah, get 1000 souls? His parents were relatively wealthy, and could afford it; it seemed unlikely that they would give that boy that much money.

"Did you rob a bank, cuz that's not far below you-" She scolded herself for letting her skeptic thoughts getting the best of her.

Ka-mon-rah blinked with a surprised look on his face, then chuckled. "No..." he then looked kind of uncomfortable, shifting position, "Uh, can you keep a secret."

Desiree leaned across the counter and Rah places his lips to her small ear, "I haven't gotten Belinda her birthday present, yet." It took every ounce of control she had not to laugh and scream for the ironic twist in coincidence. Covering her mouth to suppress her giggles, she motioned for Sabrina to come over.

"What tickled your funny bone, Dez?" Rah felt a tweak of embarrassment run through him, diverting his eyes to the corner of the room that suddenly seemed so interesting.

Snickering, Desiree said nothing but smiled followed by the older girl's re-entry into the loop. Sabrina brushed her gossamer hair over shoulder, and held out two boxes; in one was the sapphire ring and another was a larger, thinner box in what contained a necklace.

"Aw sweet, my medallion arrived!" The teenager said like a child as he tore the box open to look at the jewelry. It was a gold, circular medallion decorated with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and a large falcon standing in the sun. The large gold coin was hanging on a sky blue ribbon, designed to go around the neck. A very gaudy and flashy item, it seemed like something a pharaoh would wear. "This is awesome!"

Sabrina rolled her eyes with a small grin coming to her pale pink lips. Her green orbs looked toward the clock hanging on the far wall, the time reading 11:00. "My, is it 11 already?" Sabrina mumbled, stretching her arms over her head, "It's time to close."

Rah, a look of confusion then dawned to realization, "Oh yeah, Dizzy's getting crowned! Watch her ego go up s few bars."

Desiree laughed and lightly pushed Ka-mon-rah's shoulder, "Hardly, if anything you'll be cocky just by being there! Oh, and don't call me Dizzy..."

Sabrina came out of Tyne back room with Desiree' things in hand, passing it to her, "We'll be heading to the Town Hall, are you coming?"

"I need to check on one more guest before the party, please tell my mom that I'll be at the house when I return, getting ready." Taking the black bag from the shape-shifter, exchanging it for her orange apron, the young woman smiled and briskly left the shop, obviously in a hurry to get to whatever she was going.

Sabrina rolled her eyes and sighed before getting her things and shooing the mummy out the shop to lock the doors and extinguish the candles. Outside, Rah stood tapping his foot to the cobblestone, music blasting from the hidden earpiece tucked under wraps. He snapped his fingers, blissfully unaware of the figure hovering beside him. Turning around nonchalantly, he came face-to-face with an enticing pair of blue eyes, her blue eyes…

"Having a pleasant morning Ka-mon-rah?" Belinda softly greeted as her broomstick came to a short stop, making eye contact with her friend.

He unnoticeably jumped, hiding the bag containing his recent purchases, smiling widely. "Morning Belinda, how are you doing?"

"Pretty well, thank you, waiting for someone?" She dismounted her ride, letting it rest in her hands like the ordinary cleaning tool it was.

Sabrina emerged, a black, tight leather jacket placed to shelter her from the cold, and a large silver purse slung over her shoulder. The group then headed up the path toward the oldest building to exist in the realm of Halloween, the damp and dreary Town hall.

A/N: Ok so here's the bad news, this is isn't the first chapter. This is the first** part** of the prologue. I would submit it all together but it is taking much too long. So, after I receive five (5) reviews, I'll post part two of the prologue. I know it seems silly but this prologue will be a summarization of most the characters so I can focus on the actual story in the future to come. So please read, review, enjoy, hate just have fun; after all isn't what writing is about?

Catch you on the flip side

-Phoenix


	2. Chapter 2

The Nightmare Before Christmas- The Valentine Vendetta

Introduction: Part 2

Summary: 20 years after TNBC, Jack and Sally are now happily married and gave two children, Jasper and Desiree. All seems peaceful until Oogie Boogie rears his burlapsy face once more and teams up with a new villain to take over the seven holidays. After banishing Jack and Jasper to Valentine Town, they meet Valentina; the jailer of dark spirits who agrees to help them win back Halloween Town. Can the Pumpkin King rise up once more, save his kingdom as well as his family?

A/N: Oh gosh, how long has it been? A few months? It seems like a year, but with school and other pursues in my fanatics (oh new word!), I hate to think I forgot about this. OH the shame! Please let me redeem myself! Here's part 2 of the introduction, let the madness begin! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own TNBC, just my OC's and plot line.

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Prologue: Dealings and Meetings

Jasper struggled to reach the slightly offset velvet curtains hanging from the stage. The mayor had thought to change the color to a mysterious black sheen (although he, himself happened to like the classic feel the crimson gave to the stage) and had kindly asked him to make the switch. So here he was atop a rickety ladder, loosening the clamps that dragged the drapes across the stage. The drape dangled a mere inches away from his reach and it frustrated him severely. Could the curtain just work with him for once?

This day alone was a conundrum for his skull to dissect. Part of him was really happy for his younger sibling, her coming of age was delightful but at the same time, she seemed to be growing up too fast. It was a reality check that he wasn't expecting or looking forward to.

"Stupid curtain…" He mumbled under his breath, the black sheen slipping from his bony hand once more. He puffed in annoyance before finally grabbing the material, smirking as if he had just won a great battle.

It wasn't just him who was at the town hall. Half the denizens were crammed moving in, out and around the meeting house, hanging various arrangements or lighting candles. The hall was half-done with silver tinsel, dripping candles and crystals of darker shades. The usual stone benches were moved to the sides, tables and chairs brought in and arranged for the most accommodating space possible for the entire town that would soon be attending. The trio entered through the doors by a squeeze, barely scraping past two demons hauling a wide table.

"Wow, the entire town is here!" Belinda observed with awe at the partially decorated hall.

"Well if someone yells fire, you're on your own." Rah crossed his arms, chortling at his own joke.

Sabrina, being the tallest of the three, glanced over the crowd to see the major swarm around the center. "Come on," She said ushering through the mess, "If we're here, we might as well offer to help."

Ka-mon-rah looked nervously at the crowd ahead, sighed and mumbled, "The exits are this, this and that way…" His comment had provoked a giggle from the blonde witch, patting his shoulder in a comforting manor, leading his through the tight gathering.

After a few minutes of excuses and near collisions, the gang met up with Sally, who was kindly directing some creatures with decorations.

"Hello, Mrs. Skellington." Sabrina smiled warmly as she turned to greet them.

"Ah, hello, I was wondering where you all were." Her devil red lips curved softly as the group appeared from within the crowd.

"What kind of citizens would we be if we didn't come to help?" Belinda nodded in acknowledgement toward the superior woman.

Sally nodded back, warmly welcoming the teens, "Well thank you for coming. Ka-mon-rah, could you help bring some more tables in please?"

"At once, your royal highness." He bowed before turning heel and heading toward the doors once more. Just because he looked like a street rat, doesn't mean he had the manners his parents taught him.

"Belinda; Helgamine and Zeldaborne are working on the duplication spell for the chairs, could you lend them a hand?"

"Of course, Mrs. Skellington." She curtsied, a large bang from the two witches' back-firing spell hastening her motions to meet them.

Sally sighed, running her small hands through her rusted autumn colored hair, feeling the yarn-like strings frizz under her touch. The rag doll queen was never prone to being severely stressed as she was now. Everything was going perfectly and yet she had this underlying feeling that something was amiss. She tried to convince herself it was only pre-proceeding jitters, but some doubt and fear lingered in the back of her mind. She hadn't felt this worried since the 'Christmas Incident' twenty Halloweens ago.

"Are you alright Sally?" Sabrina asked concernedly. Being the near orphan she was the teenager had become on first-name-basis with the queen of Halloweentown, assisting her with her tasks and duties. Something about Sally she found interesting was the striking similarities between the ragdoll and her passed away mother. The gentle sweetness, yet supportive nature made her feel as if the woman who bore her into this darkened world was still with her.

Sally's ruby lips smiled, her head nodding as she responded half-heartedly, "I'm fine, Sabrina, nothing to worry about."

Sabrina nodded in assurance but had her doubt on whether that was the truth that passed through her lips.

"So, um… do you know where Jasper is?" Her voice shrunk back a little as if hiding behind her innocent expression. Ever since they met ten years ago, the two apparitions became close friends. They always went to each other for comfort, support or even to have a set of unbiased ears to vent out their problems. This was especially true for the Pumpkin Prince; who was often surrounded in the main stream focus of Halloween that often times the only moments he had were at night. In such cases either needed to talk, one would send a certain whistle that sounded so subtly distinct that it was recognizable. Then each would slip out and meet in at Spiral Hill; to sit and talk and listen, to just be there for one another. For Jasper, it was mostly the Halloween workshops and the constant running from the squealing masses of fan girls that hunted him down like a wild animal. For Sabrina, it was remembering the loss of her parents or the harsh criticism of some of the residents in the small sleepy town. These long nights were the threat that sewed them together, entwined their very souls beyond the point of distinction. So when she discovered the silver ring in her work locker, her first thoughts beside its beauty was telling Jasper about it.

Sally looked away and hummed in thought; partially to hide her sly expression. It was painfully obvious that there was something happening between her son and the snow-white haired woman standing near her now. What was it? That was the question that remained imprinted in her mind every time she managed to catch the two alone. In a way it was touching, a similar relationship she shares with Jack, the level of connection that was shyly familiar to the budding romance that blossomed into their marriage decades ago.

"Why, I believe he's changing the stage curtains. You should find him over there." A quick point of her finger conjured a sparkle in Sabrina's emerald eyes, but it quickly vanished before she could fully catch it.

"Thank you, Sally. Have a dreary day!" The teenager hastened away, her head angled her head back to send her a grin. The ragdoll sighed, watching the teen enter the crowd again, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia boil in her stuffing. This subsided swiftly as another citizen's concerns drew her back into the reality of the situation.

Jasper descended the ladder, standing back to admire his handy work with the black velour draperies. Tilting his skull to the side a few degrees, he examined the cloth with extreme detail; his ivory hand coming up to touch his chin in thought. Overall satisfied, he turned while managing to bump into a figure darting through the crowd of denizens.

"Oh pardon me!" He said hurriedly, not wanting to offend the person. His head perked when he distinguished those rare, sparkling, green eyes and head of pure white hair strands. His eyes sockets widened as he took her presence in for what must have been the millionth time but still received an odd thrill rush through his appendages. Her height was close to his only a few inches shorter thanks to her sturdy silver heels.

"It's ok Jasper, it's only me." She smiled sweetly, her eyelids fluttering closed for a moment to catch her breath. This of course allowed the skeleton another look at her, in all her haunting beauty. The honeyed, light pink smile glided across her soft, pale face with the littlest of effort that warmed his frame. Her solid yet voluptuous body that was conservatively clothed in that cream and silver colored top and black jeans. She was speaking again, however instead of holding on to her every word, his usual response, he tuned out her vocals and began to drift off into his thoughts.

She hadn't changed a bit since the day he met her. She was still the adventurous, outspoken character he ran into years ago. Sabrina was wide-eyed and curious but overall caring, her attitude a balance of sweet and sassy tones. He loved both sides of her, her sweet, caring side and her wilder, defensive side. She was talking with her hands now, twirling her wrists in a circular motion as the words seemed to fly from her mouth. Her hands were thin but soft and comforting when she touched him. He'd let her touch him anywhere and he could touch her back, just smelling her soft, divine skin...

Jasper was quickly snapped back into reality as Sabrina's voice managed to penetrate the thick walls of the teenagers infected mind.

"Jasper? JAZZ- LISTEN UP!"

"Huh... W-What?"

"Did you hear a word of what I said?" She placed her hands on her hips, scowling at the skeleton boy.

"Yes..." He crossed his arms, trying to maintain the facade under her ice cold emerald glare. Desperately searching to cut the burning tension between them, the male adolescent looked down to her hips (Trying to ignore any flashing images in his mind) and saw the ring on her finger.

"Nice ring-"

"Yeah, isn't it pretty?" The distraction had worked, for now her attention diverted to her hand where the sliver ring glistened, "My secret admirer left it in my locker."

"It matches your necklace," Jasper observed innocently, a sleek undertone of a possible ulterior motive in his words; "He must have good taste."

Sabrina nodded mentally, looking at the light turquoise and jade jewels embedded in the shining band. It made her think of her parents... her kind and loving parents. She really did miss them, not many orphans lived in Halloweentown. Her aunt, now current caretaker, was compassionate but in her own special way; not really exposing herself to anyone around her. This often left her to fend for herself. The pale girl was used to it by now, being the age of 17 and acting relatively maturely, though she wasn't to inherit the Web fortune for another year. Still sometimes she envied what Desiree and Jasper had; a true family, parents to look up to and learn from.

"Are you going to keep it?" He questioned, noting the absent look in her face.

"Probably," She shrugged casually, "Just like everything else. If Desiree ever guessed I'd throw them away, I'd be on the receiving end of her perilous scream."

Jasper felt his nonexistent heart skip several paces. She had actually kept his letters, his silent declarations of love and affection? The very thought send pleasing shivers up his exposed spine.

"Speaking of the little devil, where exactly is she?" Sabrina pondered aloud, "I thought she'd be here to go crazy over the decorations."

"Honestly, I have no idea." Jasper admitted looking up to the stain glass window near the roof of the old building, letting in rays of bright sunlight. "She'll show up when the time comes, she may seem late but that girl always shows up in the nick of time."

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The pale ragdoll in question was at present moving through the graveyard as silently as possible. Her black flats trotted through small rubble and dying grass, making a path toward the iconic mound known formally as Spiral Hill. It was a favorite place of hers to sit and think; to take in all the spinning realities of life flying at her from all around. A small breeze passed, ruffling her dark black locks as she curled her stitched arms around herself. It was always dastardly beautiful here, but this was not her final destination. Walking up the hill slowly to keep her balance, Desiree paused at the top, inhaling the freshest air the entire town had to offer.

"Mmmmmm, fabulous..." she mused as she looked upon the field of sleeping jack-o-lanterns in the nearby pumpkin patch. The hill began to uncurl as she stepped down, her eyes still closed; blissfully ignorant to all around her, her mind was elsewhere.

There was a certain RSVP that she had yet to speak to, the one she desired the most to come.

His name was Spencer. Spencer Axewall. Or that was what he had told her. He was tall, muscular figure with a mop of copper-red hair and piercing hazel eyes. He wasn't the average citizen, for he wasn't a citizen at all!

Eighteen years ago, after the epic battle between the pumpkin king and the severely bloated villain, Oogie Boogie, the holiday leaders held a meeting to debate on what could prevent this tragedy from happening again. One of Sandy's ideas was to have some person guard the entrance to the hinterlands in the Halloween world, since the incident had occurred their twice. The idea passed quickly and soon an aspiration around the age of 17 was seen guarding the monstrous portal to the eerie woodlands.

From the moment the stitched ragdoll saw him in the graveyard as a child, she had been entranced by him and his solid, mysterious behavior. He hardly ever revealed himself, being a ghost he was; having the ability to be invisible and intangible. He didn't speak much but somehow grew to become acquaintances with the talkative Desiree.

They were contradicting essences in every way, proving that classic cliché that opposites attract.

Tracking the dried path, she the girl felt the familiar chilling mist on the back of her neck. Soon she was face to face with the main gate of the forbidden lands; the hideous face formed by the circular entrance. It was quiet; the only sound the faint howling of spirits brave enough to travel in the light of day. Desiree clutched her bag in a nervous manner, jittery with a mixture of anxiety and excitement.

"Spencer? Are you here?" She asked in curious manner, looking around for any sign of the man she wished for. More silence. Eerie silence. Normally she wouldn't mind, as any denizen wouldn't, but it was nerve-racking.

"You should be getting ready." A husky, masculine voice spoke from behind her, causing her to squeak and jump in surprise. Spinning around, she saw the guardian specter materialize behind her; dressed in a tight dark shirt and pants, a black cape tied around his neck by a gilt clip in the shape of bird holding an arrow in its talons, a symbol of training and skill. His dark eyes had flicks of gold sparkling within; calmly staring at the girl's nearly scared double-dead reaction.

"S-sp-spencer, why did you do that? You nearly killed me!" Her tone was high, and hurtful.

The ghost only let out a small smile, "You're already dead."

She rolled her eyes to dismiss the comment.

"Yes, well, it's not nice in the first place." She turned away, crossing her arms in a false upset style, "You know I can have you exorcised for nearly double-killing the daughter of the Pumpkin King."

Spencer rolled his eyes as well, going along for the sake of the younger girl's game, "Oh, dear princess, how could you ever forgive me?"

"Will you be coming to my coronation this evening?" She spun to look at him directly, hope peeking out of her happy face; almost like a promotion sign of hope.

The man only frowned in return; she knew what the answer was and he knew she would not like it.

"Desiree," His tone hardened, "You know I can't. My purpose is to guard the Holiday doors-"

Her head dipped down, now biting her dark violet lips to hide her frown and stop the tears from exiting her eyes. The answer hadn't changed, she hadn't expected it too.

His gloved hand lifted her chin up to look into her wide dark eyes, "- But what I'd give to break my contract."

"It's fine." She pushed his hand away, "I'll come to visit tomorrow, for Christmas. Just like always." She began to walk away, attempting to have some straight posture and dignity even with her disappointment.

"Desir-" The ghost teen broke off as her walk busted into a run, desperate to leave his presence. He could only watch in pain as she fled down the trail, up the hill and out of sight as she moved down the steep surface. "Forgive me..."

How could she build herself up to even hope that he could come to possibly the greatest moment of her undead life? She felt so stupid and foolish as she ducked under a headstone. Tears were trickling down her stitched face like two waterfalls now and she did nothing to stop them. She deserved to feel foolish, to cry within the shadows where no one can comfort her but herself. Curling into a fetal position, the doll sobbed uncontrollably, her body shaking with emotion.

All she had wanted was his presence, to be with him on her day. Was that selfish? Anyone may think so, but Desiree did not. Nobody would really understand her, but then again how could they? She only wanted her beloved friends and family to attend the celebration. Why couldn't everything just work out for once?

Sitting up now, she wiped her cheeks, wicking away any drops on her face.

Well, should she really let herself fall all to pieces because one person would not come? That's absurd! This was her day, and she wasn't going to let anyone, even herself, stop her from having a good time.

Standing on her feet, she smiled gathering herself up as she left the haunted cemetery to get ready. For what was a birthday party without a birthday girl?

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After the second death if Oogie Boogie, the three famous trick-or-treaters had become bored with the simple pranks like sliming the Mayor or releasing crows inside the Town Hall. Lock, Shock and Barrel lounged around the tree house, without a single idea for anything. What an afterlife to have...

"I'M BORED!" Lock, the handsome devil, complained for the umpteenth time that day, staring at his devil mask, looking for flaws as he sat upside-down on the couch.

"SHUDDUP, WE ALL ARE STUPID!" Shock, the wicked witch, yelled back; fiddling with an old rat cage they used to catch bugs for Oogie.

"Nothing exciting has happened since Oogie's death..." Barrel, the miniature skeleton, mused sadly as he licked his black and orange swirled lollipop.

"Tonight is the princess's coronation." The red boy spun around, attracting the attention of his playmates, "We need to get back, start with a bang!"

"There's no way Jack would let us ten yards near the Town Hall!" The girl combatted as she tossed the cage to the far side of the room.

"Since when has that stopped us before?"

Both older kids argued as Barrel ignored their quarrel, it became second nature in the tree house now. The bone boy slid the lollipop back into the green slop of hair lubed with some unknown substance. He looked out of an open window, half-heartedly and noticed an eerie smoke leaking through it.

"Uh, guys?"

"What do you suppose we do then, genius?"

"I don't know- why don't you think of something!"

"Guys?"

"Why should I? You want to go to that spoiled brats party!"

"Now I didn't say-"

"GUYS!"

"WHAT?" Both annoyed children turned to see their third wheel thought was so important, it couldn't wait. Upon doing so, their eyes widened as they took in the sight of a stranger standing in the, now thrown open, elevator.

It was obviously a she, with her long, golden tresses and deep crimson eyes. Her body was long with legs that traveled for miles, wrapped in a light pink dress, slit and exposing a lot of smooth skin. She towered over the gang, with her stiletto heels and full lips. Gently exiting the caged elevator, the kids watched in awe as her presence silenced the noisy house.

"My, isn't this cozy?" The mature, sexy voice of the new body filled the room as her eyes examined the walls, "This is the tree house of Halloween's greatest trick-or-treaters, is it not?"

No one could speak, so A simultaneous nod emitted from all three heads.

"Let me guess..." She sat down on the couch, crossing her legs in a confidant style; where all three were in proximity, "Lock." She pointed to the devil that simply deadpanned at the most attractive... THING he had ever seen.

"Shock." She motioned to the witch who felt a scowl cover her dace with an intense jealousy for some awkward reason.

"And you must be Barrel." She cooed, looking to her left where the boy had to control himself not to pee unnecessarily.

"W-who are you, lady?" Shock asked rudely.

"My name is Venus." She said firmly, lifting her foot to prop Lock's chin up, "I would be your new friend, but that's up to you all now isn't it?"

"HECK YEA!" Lock hooted immensely before being slapped across the face by Shock.

"Are they always like this?" She spoke to Barrel as she casually traced a high leg slit in her dress.

Barrel fidgeted, never really being next to a lady this pretty before, "Uh... Yes... M-most of the time anyhow..."

"Interesting…" She mumbled and snapped her manicured fingers, silencing everyone.

"I couldn't help but hear about you little problem. I hate boredom as well, but I have an idea for something... Spectacular. However, I need someone to help me complete them."

"Who?" Barrel asked, thoroughly interested now.

Venus stood, walking over to an old painting of the kids' former employer. Taking it off the wall, she smirked, her lips parting a bit to expose her white teeth as she pointed to the large figure posing with foreboding red dice in his right hand.

"Him."

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Sally released a deep sigh as she re-entered the Skellington Manor, closing the dark door behind her. Most of the decorations were complete and everyone had left to rest and prepare for the Christmas Eve coronation. Desiree had been born on December 24, much to Jack's delight. Now with Christmas Day tomorrow, the manor was covered in lights, tinsel and mistletoe. Lots and lots and LOTS of mistletoe. The ragdoll giggled at the reminiscing memories of her first encounter with the small plant. It was a few days after Christmas, the hype from the near disaster had died down and things were returning to as they once were. Jack was cleaning up some Christmas experiments when she had stumbled in. Offering to help she had removed a book from the table only for a strange plant to be dragged off and fall to the ground. Picking it up, she examined it as she twirled the stem between her small fingers. Curiosity got the better of her and she asked jack about the little green thing. He seemed a little awkward about it at first; he enlightened her on one of Christmas Town's traditions. She really didn't know what to think of it at first; however she came to embrace it. Soon every December the mistletoe began to thrive in the house, appearing everywhere. It was like an inside joke for both of them and it still brought a smile to her face to this very day.

The shy doll was distracted from her thoughts when the sound of music drifted through the house. Following her ears, the woman was lead to the cracked door of the music room where the sounds were coming from. Gently, Sally opened the door; the familiar creek didn't announce her presence to the other in the room as it usually would. Sitting, back toward the door, in front of a large grand piano was a serene Desiree, playing the notes like a professional musician. Her fingers danced across the ebony and ivory keys; creating emotional, solemn sounds of grace and beauty. This lasted for a few minutes before she came to a close, breathed out a sigh mixed with nostalgia and exasperation.

"That was very good, dear," Sally lightly clapped her hands, her ragdoll daughter turning around to see she wasn't alone, "Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata was always one of your favorites."

"Oh, Mom, I didn't hear you come in." She turned away, almost blushing at being caught in her situation. Desiree first laid eyes on a piano when Sally discovered within the manor's attic; Jack remembered his dad playing when he was younger and that after his parents passed away the piano must have been placed in the attic and forgotten. Ever since then she has always gone there to think or read or to do whatever. When she became old enough, the girl asked her father for piano lessons which he gladly agreed to, although is talents were a bit rusty. Soon, her skills rose above her teachers as a pianist became her shining quality. She paired it with her unique singing voice and the soft melody was hypnotic.

Sally walked over and sat on the bench next to the young girl, bringing her arm around her shoulders in a comforting manor. "Are you ready?"

Desiree paused, taking a deep breath, "Yes."

"Good," Sally's red lips smiled warmly, "Now… let's get you dressed."

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Scarlet eyes watched calmly as the three children finished sewing the large burlap sack at the seams. Their tiny bodies were close to vibrating uncontrollably with all the built up tension being condensed into this very moment. "Is it complete?" She asked as the witch tore off the last hanging piece of thread

Their response was a mixture of "yes", "yup" and "m-hm".

"Good," Venus nodded, motioning for the children to back away with the flick of her hand, "Now stand back."

Surprisingly, the three backed up without talking back. They watched in amazement as a book materialized within her grasp, the pages flipping eerily by an invisible force, before stopping.

"O Spiritus Virtutis Lucrum

Audire meis

Educ opaca creatura quod latet in nocte

FERO EUM AD DOMO!"

As she spoke, the sack began to glow a haunting green as sliver mist surrounded it, blocking only shadows outlining the events. Moans, snickers and laughs began to erupt from the smoke as a figure materialized within it. Taking a few steps forward, the mysterious figure cackled evilly, the menacing thing finally revealing itself.

"I'M BAAAAAACCCCCCCKKKKKKKK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!"

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The large clock in the center of town rang the evening in with its monotone, foreboding sound vibrations. All the denizens of Halloweentown were crowding into the hauntingly beautiful macabre trimmings that filled the Town Hall. Every last monster, witch, THING had arrived, by flight or broom or even wheel in their horribleness to see the young Skellington girl be crowned 'Pumpkin Princess'.

Desiree, of course, needed to make a spectacular entrance, so she was currently hiding on stage, barely peeking out between the two pieces of black velvet. She fiddled with her short dress, a black top with a lace neckline with a series of tulles barely skimming to three-quarters of the thighs, each the colors of ebony and ivory and a sash tied into a bow poised on the side of her waist. Her stitching was redone with violet thread, making her ghostly white skin more appealing and almost glittery and black flats on her tiny feet. Many emotions burned within her seams; happiness, nervousness and anxiety fluttered inside of her as she paced back and forth across the main focal point of the hall.

"If you keep that up, you'll wear a hole in the floor." A male voice from the wings called her frazzled attention. The girl turned to see her skeletal bone brother, half-hearted smile at her with his bony grin. His normal black suit had been changed for the special occasion; a black and green pin-striped outfit with a black cat whisker tie, studded with emerald eyes.

"Is it ok for a girl to be nervous?" She lightly joked through she was wringing her little hands to bits.

He walked, patting his little sister on the back, "You do fine; it's just jitters. Don't worry, if anything does go wrong, I 'll just distract everyone by saying I want a girlfriend, that ought to take are of every girl there." His joke allowed her to release a happy laugh, the tense posture melting under his skeletal palms.

"Thanks, Jazz." Desiree hugged her brother, a small smile forming on her violet-stitched lips. Jasper, stroked her back, allowing her a few moments of peace when the king and queen appeared in the wings. The heroic Jack Skellington was dressed in his usual pin-striped attire, accompanied by a long black cape clasped at his neck with a silver pumpkin latch. Sally was beside him, holding his hand in hers, wearing a classic black slender gown with sheer, black sleeves and a small slit ou to her knees on the left side.

"Daddy!" Desiree beamed, quickly spinning to embrace her famous father figure. Jack smiled, hugging her back as Sally looked on, trying to blink away the tears. Pulling back, the girl pulled both her parents into her massive group hug.

"Are you ready?" Jack asked the girl after a moment of silence, to which she firmly nodded in response.

"Lets' do this."

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"I would like to thank you all for coming out this horrid evening to witness the Coronation of the Pumpkin Princess!" The mayor said happily, his face clearly expressing his emotion as thunderous applause echoed through the room.

"Well, without further ado, I give you your royal family, The Skellingtons!" The black curtain drew open to reveal the aristocratic apparitions standing on the stage, all dressed in their attire. They each bowed, stepping to the side before the room died down as the future princess turned to face the politician with a smile on her face. Jasper held out a black satin pillow out to the man at the podium, the crown resting on it picture perfectly.

The crown was a princess' tiara embedded with diamonds; ebony gems with an orange pumpkin gem in the center. Desiree had to control herself from bursting out in happiness as the mayor took it in his tiny hands. He motioned her to kneel forward and she did, sitting on her calves.

"Desiree Juliet Skellington, with your coming of maturity in your sixteenth year, I am honored on behalf of tradition here by crown thee-"

He would have continued but a loud explosion near the back of the hall interrupted his speech. Creatures scattered to the sides of the hall, not wanting to be hurt. Jack immediately pushed Sally behind him, covering them both with his cape. Quickly reacting, Jasper grabbed his sister, accidently falling back into the curtain and out of harm's way. As soon as the dust settled , a familiar group stepped forward- three children and a horrifying monster that dared step foot in Halloween town a third time.

"Nobody told me there was a party goin on, I woulda brought some stew, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

No, it can't be… Jack uncovered the pair as they beheld the shadow on the moon at night, "Oogie Boogie!"

"Ah, just the bag-of-bones I wanted to see," He stepped toward the stage, "Remember me, Bone man?"

"How is that possible? You're supposed to be dead!" Jack tightened his fists at his sides, as Sally covered her mouth in shock.

"Well then, I guess I'm double-dead!" He laughed as the denizens ran toward the doors, only to find them locked with heavy chains.

"We're trapped!" A witch yelled, "We're all trapped!"

"Now, there's gonna be a new ruler in town," Oogie sauntered closer when Jasper materialized behind him, a chair in his grasp. He was ready to whack the stuffing out of the intruder, when something else met the side of his skull, causing him to murmur with pain. The boogeyman turned, grabbing the skeleton teen with is impromptu arms wringing the small neck.

"JASPER!" Sally screamed in worry as Oogie put two-and-two together.

"You and the ragdoll got together and got busy and THIS is YOUR son?" He cackled evilly, "Oh this is just too much…"

"That's not all-"

A new, female voice came from behind the parents as the golden haired beauty had their daughter locked in a force field of some kind, smiling deviously, "They have a daughter too, a very, very pretty little girl."

"Desiree! Let her go, this moment!" Sally felt anger run through her at the sight of the other female.

"Ah-ah-ah, must control those motherly instinct, darling" The villainess tightened her hand as another field appeared around the queen.

"SALLY!"

"MOM!" Jasper removed his bony hands from his neck and grabbed a loose thread on Oogie's body, yanking at the seam.

"OW! You brat-!" The ploy was successful, for the sack dropped the boy as he ran to join his father.

"You both are in over your heads, surrender now and maybe we'll go easy on your demise." The lady spoke, her voice making their bones shake with tension. A figure snuck up from behind and tried to subdue the second attacker with a guitar poised over her head. However this was avoided when it was jumped on by the three trick-or-treaters.

"Nice try, Sabrina!" They chortled as chains wrapped around the woman, holding her in place. Shock leapt over the girl's head, grabbing the instrument in process. The white-haired girl was finally noticed by Venus as she turned to see her-would be attacker.

Sabrina was dressed in her performing wardrobe, a black leather halter top and spikey skirt tinted with a green hue. She also wore green high-heeled boots and arm length gloves, her face made-up but looked furious.

"You won't get away with this!" She yelled as struggled in her bonds.

"SABRINA," Jasper literally turned dead-serious, "IF YOU HURT A SINGLE HAIR ON HER HEAD, SO HELP ME HALLOWEEN, I'll-"

"Oh she's you lover is she?" The woman shot back, turning toward the skeleton pair.

Jasper immediately quieted but still glared murderously at her in return, "She's-my-best-friend."

"Oh that's what they all say, trust me I know." The woman now had all the crew on the stage; Oogie clapped his seams together,

"I see you met my new accomplice; why don't you show them a trick baby?" He smirked as the woman smirked back.

"Very well." She turned her attention to the king and prince, "You all are in our way of conquest, and I cannot allow you to stay." Her hands clapped in front of her, a strong wind blazing through the room engulfing the two men, "I hereby banish you both, and may you never set foot in your homeland again! Vade, in terram fracta animarum!"

The wind grew more violent as Jack and Jasper tried to hold their ground. Failing, the two were lifted up and clouded with smoke, their screams drowned out by noise as they vanished in a flash of blinding light.

They both were gone.

"NO!" The three females trapped yelled simultaneously.

Oogie laughed as he turned to see the frightened crowd who had witnessed to entire ordeal. He laughed in horror, "Now it's my turn, Let the reign of the Seven Holiday's King begin!"

Desiree couldn't believe what was happened, so shocked and upset she fainted in her suspended prison, tears running down her face.

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Wow, finally, I finish the introduction! For all those who are wondering, the previous two chapters set the stage for chapter 1 and kind of act like a prologue. The rest of the chapter will not be as long as the first two so I'll be able to update faster.

So please give me feedback! I want to know what you all think. Do you hate it? Love it? Want to rip me to pieces for updating so late?

Review/Alert/Favorite to your heart's content!

Hope you enjoyed, waiting for reviews (waiting on chair, twiddling thumbs)

See ya!

-Phoenix


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